- Yes - In the Tech Tree.
- Yes - Event/BP.
- Yes - Premium.
- No - I would not like to see HMAS Nizam in game.
Description:
HMAS Nizam was one of five N-class Destroyers loaned to the Royal Australian Navy from the Royal Navy during the Second World War, in which she would serve in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.
Although initially ordered for the Royal Navy, she would serve throughout the war entirely in the RAN. As she was loaned to them while still being built, and then once returned to the RN, she would never be commissioned.
This suggestion is for her fit at the end of the war in 1945.
History:
Laid down just before the declaration of the war on the 27th of July 1939, by John Brown and Company Ltd, Clydebank, Scotland. She would be loaned the RAN while still being built during this period. She launched on the 4th of July 1940, finishing fitting out and commissioning into the RAN on the 19th of December 1940.
Upon commissioning, she would be assigned to fleet duties on Scapa Flow, however, from January-March 1941 she would be sent to Atlantic convoy escort duty. On the 21st of March 1941 she would leave the Cyldebank for Gibraltar, also on escort duty. From Gibraltar she would move onto St.Helena, then Capetown and Durban, before moving back into the Mediterranean via the Suez.
From Alexandria she would screen the Battle Fleet to allow the movement of HMS Queen Elizabeth from the Western Mediterranean to Alexandria. On the 21st of May 1941, she would bombard Scarpanto, then embark commandos bound for Crete at Alexandria, these commandos would be landed at Suda Bay. This work would be done under German bombing, allowing her crew to learn and enhance her AA. The next two trips between Crete and Alexandria would be evacuations, pulling off 698 troops off the island.
During this time she also made runs to Tobruk, and bombarded the Vichy French held Syrian Coast. She also engaged two Vichy destroyers with HMS Naiad, Phoebe, Jaguar, and Kingston in Beirut Bay. The pair of French destroyers escaped, although damaged.
On the 14th of August, Nizam entered Tobruk harbour at night and collided with a wreck, damaging her bow. Later on the 17th of September, while returning from another run to Tobruk, Nizam was rewarded by the Germans for her bravery with a series of bombs, these damaged her fuel pumps and had to be temporarily towed by HMS Kingston.
She would be active in many of the Mediterranean Fleet’s activities during this time, including off Syria again, and in more convoys to Malta.
On the 3rd of January 1942, HMAS Nizam and two other RAN N-class, the Nestor and Napier would leave the Mediterranean for service with the Eastern fleet, proceeding to Aden. From Aden they would escort HMS Indomitable to Sudan, then on to the Java Sea, as to let the Indomitable fly off her Hurricanes that were to land on the Island. The ships then proceeded to Trincomalee, with Nizam spending five weeks at Bombay, then joining the Eastern fleet at Mobassa.
From February to March 1942 she was engaged in more convoy escort work. In late March she would take part in a sweep of the Indian Ocean, before returning one again to the Mediterranean for even more convoy escort, mostly to Malta. She was then present in the Madagascar Campaign in September 1942, arriving after Diego Suarez had already fallen. During this time she captured the Vichy Merchantman Marshall Galleni, and engaged another, the Antral Pierre who scuttled.
She then went into refit, having not cleaned her boilers for ~1,450 hours. This was completed on the 28th of December 1942. After which she again partook in a sweep of the Indian Ocean with the Eastern Fleet, also partaking in shipping protection.
She finally visited Australia on the 13th of August 1943 for another refit, completing mid October, then sailing to Fremantle. She did more convoy escort duties from there, sailing to as far away as Aden. She would again rejoin the Eastern Fleet at Trincomalee, arriving on the 27th of January 1944, while there she would do fleet operations in the Bay of Bengal. From May until November Nizam would be on shipping protection duty in the Indian Ocean, then back to Melbourne for refit.
This refit would take from the 3rd of November 1944, until the 31st of January 1945, and included the replacement of the 4" AA gun and the Main spotlight for three single Bofors guns. This gave her an AA armament of 3x1 40mm bofors, 6x1 20mm Oerlikon, and the DP 4.7" guns. The spotlight was seen as unnecessary as the ship also had radar. During Trials she would lose 10 men overboard, and would sustain damage. No survivors would be found and repairs would take until the 7th of March. Her pennant would also change to D15 during this time.
She would depart for the British Pacific Fleet by the 14th of March, but would have a breakout of Poliomyelitis, and would be placed in quarantine on the 25th of April. This would be lifted in May. During her time in the British Pacific Fleet, she would partake in operations against the Japanese home islands.
She would be present in Tokyo Harbour for the Japanese surrender. She would decommission on the 17th of October 1945, and would recommission as the HMS Nizam to return to the UK. She would not be returned to active service, and would be scrapped in 1956.
| General Characteristics: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name: HMAS Nizam | |||||
| Country: Australia | |||||
| Type: Destroyer | |||||
| Class name: N-class | |||||
| Year of commission: 1940 | |||||
| Refit: 1945 | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Dimensions: | |||||
| Length: 356 ft 6 in (108.7 m) | |||||
| Beam: 35 ft 9 in (10.9 m) | |||||
| Draught: 12 ft 6 in (3.8 m) | |||||
| Displacement: 1,773LT (1,801t) | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Propulsion: | |||||
| Powerplant: Steam turbines, 3x Boilers, 2x Turbines, 40,000 shp (30,000 kW) across 2 shafts | |||||
| Speed: 36kt | |||||
| Endurance: 5,500nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 15kt | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Armament & sensors: | |||||
| Compliment: 183 | |||||
| Primary armament: 3x2 QF 4.7-inch Mk XII on mount CP Mk XIX | |||||
| Secondary armament:1x4 QF-2pdr (pom-pom), 6x1 20mm Oerlikon, 3x1 40mm Bofors | |||||
| Tertiary armament: 2x2 .5 Inch Vickers, 1x5 21" Torpedoes, 45 DC, 2x1 DCT | |||||
| Sensors: ASDIC, Type 285 Gunnery Radar, Type 286 Surface search Radar |
Sources
Gillett, R. (1983). Australian and New Zealand Warships 1914-1945 (pp.147-149)
M.J. Whitley. (1988) Destroyers of World War Two. (117-121)
HMAS Nizam - Wikipedia
HMAS Nizam (G 38) of the Royal Australian Navy - Australian Destroyer of the N class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net
The RAN's Destroyers - Naval Historical Society of Australia
https://seapower.navy.gov.au/history/units/hmas-nizam